These past two weeks, we’ve been focusing on how we are “letting our light shine” at Our Lady of Good Hope. I’m so grateful to Ross and Mindy Haffner for their beautiful words before Mass today about how the witness of this parish’s fidelity to Christ has brought them and their family closer to the Lord.

Last week, we saw how our parish has become the salt that brings true savor to the world around us, the savor of the Gospel, by leaning into our rich culture of family life, making witness and community a stronger part of everything we do, and building on our culture of love and reverence for Christ truly present in the Eucharist. We also saw where we are going from here with the unveiling of our three-year strategic plan – how we’re going to build on all the great things the Lord is doing here. You can make sure we are successful through your commitment to sacrificial generosity this year through our Hope in Christ program. Many of you have already made your commitments – thank you so much! Many probably brought the commitment cards you received in the mail. Thank you! You can put those in the collection boxes. There’s more cards available at the entrances, and you can fill out the commitment on our website: OLGHFW.com.

          Today, we see more fully what sacrificial generosity is all about. It’s not just what the need is, and what my generosity supports. We could talk about how big our electric bill is, the rising cost of everything, or the challenging labor market. That would be okay. We could tell you even more inspiring stories of so many lives changed through the apostolic work of our parish. That would be better. But the even more fundamental question that inspires our commitment to sacrificial generosity is: What kind of person do I want to be?

St. Paul tells us today about his own witness: “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” As followers of Christ, we have to ask ourselves continually: Is that my goal as well? To know everything through Christ, to see all things in light of His love for me? Is Christ the first priority in my life, including in my finances? Is His Cross the center of my life, by living a life of sacrifice, including in my finances?

The prophet Isaiah promises us God’s reward for our generosity: “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, … and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.” We have all heard that God will never be outdone in generosity. And that’s true, but not so much in a transactional sense. It’s more like another well-known phrase: “Virtue is its own reward.”

We sang in the Responsorial Psalm: “Light shines through the darkness for the upright; he is gracious and merciful and just. Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice. … His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear … his horn shall be exalted in glory.”

Generosity is its own reward in what it does for you. It makes you into that gracious and merciful person, anchored by a steadfast heart, exalting in trust in the Lord. It might seem selfish, but it’s not selfish to want to grow in virtue and holiness. Ultimately, the Lord calls you to sacrificial generosity for what it does for you. I know that ten percent of my income will not make a radical difference in the financial situation of this parish or any other charity. But you know who it does make a difference for? It makes a difference for me! It forms my priorities. It helps me keep Christ as the number one. It tempers my tendency to find security in financial position. It limits my desire for new and unnecessary stuff. It forces me to be thrifty, and to live more in solidarity with the poor.

          We are inviting you to make a commitment to sacrificial generosity to your parish not just because your generosity helps us to bring more people to the Lord, not just because we have big expenses to pay, but because we want you to be holy. We want you to be able to say like St. Paul: “I have known nothing expect Christ, and Him crucified,” by making Him the biggest priority in this and every other part of your life.

The Rev. Royce V. Gregerson

Parish Church of Our Lady of Good Hope, Fort Wayne

V Sunday through the Year, A.D. MMXXV